Device for opening and closing elevator-doors.



110.790.1334. I PATENTED MAY 23, 1905 WATSON. 'DEVIGE'FOR OPENING AND CLOSING ELEVATOR DOORS.

APPLIOATIOH FEB. 16.1905.

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I I ,./%L7/L 24% W WM l WW UPATENTED MAY 23, 1905.

7H. WATSON. :mzvmsron OPENING AND CLOSING ELEVATOR 0003s! APPLICATION FILED IEB'. 16.1905;

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UNITED STATES Patented May 23, 1905..

PATENT OFFIoE.

DEVICE FOR OPENING AND CLOSING ELEVATOR-DOORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 790,334, dated May 23, 1905.

Application filed February 16, 1905. Serial No. 245,817.

-District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Opening and Closing Elevator-Doors; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to devices for opening and closing the doors of elevators; and it has for its principal object to provide for antomatically opening and closing the doors by the moving car. 7

Other objects of the invention will become apparent upon a more detailed description The invention consists of the novel arrangement and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully explained in this specification and briefly stated in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of a portion of a well-hole, showing the door on one floor open and the door on another floor closed, the car being shown in vertical section; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the upper portion of a door, showing the unlock- 1ng mechanism in the position when the door is closed; Fig. 3, a similar view showing the unlocking mechanism in the position when the door is unlocked, and Fig. 4 a side eleva-.

tion of the mechanism for setting the motor in operation to unlock and open the door.

In the several'views the numeral 1 indicates the well-hole or shaft, 2 the car, and 3 the construction.

The numerals l and 5 indicate two brackets secured to the upper part of the door, each bracket being provided with an aperture, through which is adapted to operate-a rod 6. Located on the rod 6 are collars 7 8, 9, and 10, collar 7 being loose on the rod and collars 8, 9, and 10 being provided with set-screws, by means of which they may be adjusted to any desired position. Situated between collars 8 and 9 is a spring 11, and between collars 7 and 8 is a spring 12 of somewhat greater strength than spring 11'. Attached to the fordoors, all of which may be of any approved ward end of the rod is one end of a rope or chain 13, the other end of said rope or chain being attached to one arm of a spring-restrained angle-lever 14, pivoted to one corner of the door. Attached to the other arm of the angle-lever is one end of a rope or chain 15, the other end of said rope or chain being attached to a spring-pressed latch 16, which is adapted to engage a keeper 17, secured to the wall of the elevator-shaft. Attached to the other end of the rod 6 is a rope or chain 18, which passes over pulleys l9 and 20, as

shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and is connected to a drum 21 of an electric motor 22, as shown in Fig. 1. There is a motor for each floor, and power is transmitted from any suitable source of electrical energy.

Secured to the wall of the elevator-shaft between the floors is a bracket 23, and operating through suitable apertures in said bracket and the wall are two spring-restrained rods or bars 24 24:, provided with bow-shaped head 25, having spring ends 26 26. Properly insulated from the wall of the shaft and the bracket 23 is a contact-plate 27, and attached to the head 25, but insulated therefrom, is a spring contact 28, said contact plate and spring-contact being in electrical connection with the motor by wires (6 and 6.

Secured to the wall of the car is a bracket 29, and pivoted to the bracket is a lever 30, which is adapted to engage notches or recesses 31 and 32 in a bar 33, also secured to the wall of the car. -Pivoted to the lever is a presser bar 34:, carrying at its free end a roller 35, adapted to contact with the head 25.

Fastened to the door is one end of a rope or chain 36, which passes overa pulley 37 and has its other end fastened to a weight 38.

It will be understood that the mechanism herein described for opening and closing the door is the same for each door.

The operation is as follows: As the car ascends or descends and a passenger has indicated in the usual manner his or her desire to take the car or 'get off the conductor forces the lever over into notch 31, causing the presser-bar to project a distance sufficient to firmly engage the spring-restrained head 25 and force it inwardly until the spring-contact engages the contact-plate, closing the circuit and setting the motor into operation. The drum winds up the rope 18, drawing rod 6 through the apertured brackets 4 and 5 and raising the latch out of engagement with the keeper. The rod is drawn through thebrackets until the collar strikes or abuts against the bracket 5, when further winding of the rope 18 upon the'drum will open the door and raise the weight, as shown in Fig. 1. As the distance between the collar 10 and bracket 5 is much greater than the distance between the loose collar 7 and bracket 1, it will be evident thatspring 12 will becompressed. This spring being much stronger than spring 11,

- the collar 8, which is only frictionally held on the rod by its set-screw, will be forced toward bracket 5, slightly compressing said spring 11, thereby relieving the tension of spring 12 to some extent, so that when entirely relieved of its tension sudden shock or jar to the door will be prevented. The compression of the springs is for the purpose of storing up sufficicnt energy to give to the door an initial start in closing. After the passenger has gotten on or off the lever is pushed over into notch 32 and the presser-bar withdrawn from its engagement with the spring-restrained head, thereby putting the motor out of operation. As soon as the motor stops the stored-up spring energy causes the rod 6 to move quickly forward, bringing the stop 9 against the bracket 5, which is one of the door-hangers, with suflicient force to impart an initial start to the door, which is then closed by the weight, the smaller spring serving to cushion the force of the larger spring. In order to prevent sudden shock or jar to the door in closing, I provide a rubber buffer or cushion 39 to relieve the weight when it has reached the limit of its drop. I

The motors to be employed are of just sufficient power to readily raise theweight 38 and open the door, so that the continued closing of the circuit while the door remains open will have no effect on any of the mechanism.

It will be obvious that if there be no passenger to get on or ofi". at any one of the floors the presser-bar will not engage the springrestrained head as long as the lever remains in notch 32. It will also be obvious that a single spring may be employed instead of two and collar 8 dispensed with.

Should the conductor neglect to push the lever over into notch 32, the engagement of the presser-bar with the spring-restrained head would be broken as soon as the car began its ascent or descent by the presser-bar slipping over and off the inclined or spring ends of said head and the door immediately close.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with an elevator-door,

of a spring-restrained angle-lever pivoted on the door, aspring-pressed latch connected with one arm of said angle-lever, a rotatable drum, and a connection between the other arm of the angle-lever and the drum, whereby the rotation of the drum will unlatch the door.

2. The combination with an elevator-door and the car, of a spring-restrained angle-lever pivoted on the door, a spring-pressed latch connected with one arm of said angle-lever, a rotatable drum, a connection between said drum and the other arm of the angle-lever, an electric motor for driving the drum, contacts in electrical connection with said motor, and means carried by the car for causing the engagement of the contacts, so as to close the circuit to operate the motor.

3. The combination with an elevator-door, of an angle-lever pivoted on the door, aspringpressed latch connected with one arm of the angle lever, a longitudinally movable rod journaled in bearings secured to the door, a connection between one end of the rod and the other arm of the angle-lever, springs coiled around the rod, a loose collar engaging one end of one of the springs, and means for antomatically operating the rod to unlock the door.

4. The combination with an elevator-door, of an angle-lever pivoted on the door, a springpressed latch connected with one arm of the angle lever, a longitudinally movable rod journaled in bearings secured to the door, a connection between one end of the rod and the other arm of the angle-lever, springs coiled around the rod, a collar loose on the rod, engaging one end of one of the springs, an adjustable collar on the rod for limiting its movement in the bearings, and means for automatically operating the rod to unlock the door.

5. The combination with an elevator-door, of an angle-lever pivoted on the door, a springpressed latch connected with one arm of the angle lever, a longitudinally movable rod journaled in bearings secured to the door, a connection between one end of the rod and the other arm of the angle-lever, two springs coiled. around the rod and separated by a i'rictionallyheld collar, a collar loose on the rod engaging the end of one spring, a collar adjustable on the rod for limiting the movement of the rod, and means for automatically operating the rod to unlock the door.

6. The combination with an elevator-door, of an angle-lever pivoted on the door, a springpressed latch connected with one arm of the angle-lever, a longitudinally movable rod journaled in bearings secured to the door, a connection between one end of the rod and the other arm of the angle-lever, two springs coiled around the rod and separated by a frictionallyheld collar, a collar loose on the rod engaging the end of spring, a collar adjustable on the rod for limiting the movement of the rod, an electric motor carrying a drum, a rope running from the drum to the rear end of the rod, contacts in electrical connection with the motor, and means for causing the engagement of the contacts to close the circuit to operate the motor.

7. The combination with the door of an elevator, of an angle-lever pivoted on the door, a spring-pressed latch connected to one arm of the angle-lever, a longitudinally-movable rod journaled in bearings secured to the door, a connection between one end of the rod and the other arm of the angle-lever, means on the rod for storing up energy, means for limiting the movement of the rod in its bearing, and means for moving the rod to store up the energy and open the door.

8. The combination with an elevator-door, of a spring-restrained angle-lever pivoted on the door, a spring-pressed latch connected with one arm of said angle-lever, a slidable rod having one end connected to the other arm of the angle-lever and the other end to an electric motor, contacts in the electrical connection with said motor, and a contact-maker carried by the car, whereby the circuit may be closed to operate the motor.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signaturein the presenceof two witnesses.

' HUGH WATSON.

WVitnesses':

C. M. FORREST, CHAS. F. DUTTON. 

